Brodalumab meets in psoriasis Phase III

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) and AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN) said subcutaneous brodalumab met the co-primary endpoints compared to placebo in the Phase III AMAGINE-1 trial to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Both 140 mg and 210 mg doses of brodalumab given every two weeks resulted in a higher proportion of patients achieving a 75% improvement from baseline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI75) score compared to placebo, as well as achieving "clear" or "almost clear" skin in the static Physician Global Assessment score at week 12. The trial enrolled 661 patients.

Brodalumab is a humanized mAb against IL17R. Data from the Phase III AMAGINE-2 and AMAGINE-3 trials evaluating brodalumab compared to Stelara ustekinumab from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and to placebo in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis are expected this year. Amgen and AZ partnered in 2012 to jointly develop and commercialize five mAbs from Amgen, including brodalumab (see BioCentury Extra, April 2, 2012). ...